Western Kansas world. [volume] (WaKeeney, Kan.) 1885-current, 1887-01-15

How many acres Of school land have BEEN
sold, what lands remain unsold, how much
money remains unpaid ON lands that have
been cold, and what amount Of interest a
due on land sold on Gme-ell this Informs
hon, which, il seems to me, should be of
record in some state department., and acces-
lble at any time. ! have been unable to OBJ
tain. Neither the state auditor nor the
superintendent of instruction can furnish
any Of these facts. Surely, the state ought
20 have record OF the unpaid principal OF
school lands SOLD, and of the lands yet unsold.
The determination Of this question involves,
probably, four or five million dollars, yet il
has been treated, by every Legislature that
has assembled for ten years past, "a if il was
! matter of no interest to the state or its PEG.
pie. There are no data, in any state Office, 90
far as can learn, on which to base even an
approximate estimate Of the future receipts
IF this large and important fund.
The school fund commissioners are meet
GEAR, in keeping this fund invested. The
law governing such investments needs at
tentioo, and the legislature should devise
some plan by means of which the money
coming into the school fund can be properly
invested in safe interest-bearing securities.
CHARITABLE INSTITUTIONS.
The biennial report of the board of trus.
ices of state charitable institution, with its
accompanying reports of superintendents
md other officers, furnishes detailed infor-
nation concerning tho condition, expense
and requirements of the asylums for the in
sane at Topeka and Ossawatomie, the state
reform school at Topeka, the institution for
the education of the deaf and dumb at
blind at Wyandotte, the asylum for idiotic
md imbecile youth, now at Lawrence, but
Ioon to be removed to Winfield, and the new
soldiers orphans home at Atchison.
These numerous charitable, educational
and reformatory institutions entail upon the
state heavy burdens, which increase as our
population increases. New buildings and
additions, costing 1865, 800, were erected
during the last two fiscal years, yet all the
institutions are crowded to their utmost ca
pacity, and the trustees present facts and
figures showing demand for additional &C
commodations. l do not see how such ex-
: enditures can be avoided or largely de-
creased. Burdensome as they are, they are
the natural and inevitable result of the rapid
growth of the state, and generous and in
telligent people will approve of all that are
shown to be necessary for the proper main
tenance or care Of the INFORMANT classes,
of the reports and recommendations of the
trustees and officers of these charities,
careful and intelligent consideration, and
such appropriations as the necessities of the
institutions require.
MANAGEMENT OF CHARITABLE INSTITUTIONS.
I again call the attention of the legisla-
ture to the defects of the system provided by
law for the management of these institu-
lions. In my judgment it does not afford
such supervision as the welfare of these great
charities requires. OF the appropriations
annually made by the legislature, about
two fths are expended by this one board
Of trustees. The institutions in its charge
are widely diverse III character, including
eleemosynary and reformatory
departments. They are also remote frou
zach other, and the trustees cannot visit
Them more frequently than once a mont
The board, too, is necessarily CON posed of
men whose time is largely engrosse III their
OVID personal affairs andth inspect ons
made by them are, therefore, hasty ana supeI.
fetal. It ought to be apparent, when thes.
facts are considered, that the present system
Of supervision and management is consplcu-
ously inadequate, if not inherently vciour
It is, in fact, neither practical, compre.
place to some system that will provide
For more constant, watchful and intelll.
gent visitation, oversight and inspe ction.
STATE BOARDS.
It may be said, in this connection
for state institutions embodies fea-
ures of extravaganza and in, fl
,iency, and ought to be remodeled. The
business of the state has outgrown the old
and demands others moro COM
prehensive and economical. The board OF
trustees of state charitable institutions
should be relieved of the supervision of the
state reform school. All the penal and
institutions, including the pen.
tentiary, the industrial reformatory, and
he reform school, should be under the gu
pervision of one board, composed eff not
more than five members. One member of
zach of these two boards, its chairman or its
should devote mis- entire time to
'uch duties of visitation, auditing accounts,
supplies and property. etc, as
night be devolved upon him by law, and
he mileage system should be abolished.
The saving effected by the changes thus
he salaries of the officers thus regularly
md constantly employed, and the state
would, at the same time, secure services es-
ential to the proper management Of its
and penal institutions.
THE MILEAGE SYSTEM.
The payment of members of state boards
y other officers under the mileage system lie
and vicious, and should be en-.
rely abolished. It has nothing to recon-
mend it. It is unjust alike to the public and
o the officers who are thus paid, subjecting
he state to unnecessary expense, and its SER
crvants to unmerited suspicion and criti-
ism.
It is unjust, also, to those sections of the
tate remote from its public institutions.
The eastern third of Kansas was settled
ears before the western two-thirds was in
labited, and, az q natural result, nearly all
f our public buildings are located in that
ection first occupied. Under the mileage
ystem, therefore, the appointing power is
with the alternative of denying
on the state boards to the
vestern half of the state, or of appointing
members whose lawful mileage will make
be expenses of such boards appear extrava-
ant.
This system results, also, in grossly un-
quail payments for equal serviees. One
MEMBER of board travels 500 miles, going
nd returning, to attend meeting which
asts two days; another travels sixty miles.
The first receives, under the law. $56; the
ther receives $12. Yet both render the
tate equal service, and occupy about the
anne time in d1scbarging their respective